Super Tuesday in Massachusetts

Super Tuesday. What and How does the Democratic Presidential Primary work?

Amulya Chirravuri, Writer

Why is Super Tuesday Important?

A candidate must win at least 15% of the primary vote in order to receive any delegates. A candidate needs to win a simple majority of total delegates to earn the Democratic nomination. The reason Super Tuesday is so significant is that there are 1,344 delegates awarded out of the 14 states and one territory to vote that day or about 34% of all pledged delegates.

Massachusetts Democratic presidential primary

Biden (green) wins the Mass. vote while Bernie (purple) and Warren (orange) win some Mass. votes as well.

Former vice president Joe Biden has won the Massachusetts primary, in a devastating defeat for Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, the state’s junior senator, in her home state

Sen. Bernie Sanders spent two days in Massachusetts the weekend prior to Super Tuesday and drew some 10,000 supporters to a boisterous rally in Boston.

Biden wins the Franklin vote:

  • Sanders: 1,546
  • Biden: 2,631
  • Warren: 1,263

There are many tedious steps that have to be taken before one can become the president. The first step is primary and caucus. People with similar ideas belong to the same political party. This is where primaries and caucuses come in. Candidates from each political party campaign throughout the country to win the favor of their party members.

  • Caucus:  party members select the best candidate through a series of discussions and votes.
  • Primary:  party members vote for the best candidate that will represent them in the general election.

A primary election is an election used either to narrow the field of candidates to determine the nominees for political parties in advance of a general election. Primary elections can take several different forms. In a partisan primary, voters select a candidate to be a political party’s nominee for a given office in the corresponding general election. Nonpartisan primaries are used to narrow the field of candidates for nonpartisan offices in advance of a general election.

In each primary or caucus, there are a certain number of delegates. These are individuals who represent their state at national party conventions. The candidate who receives a majority of the party’s delegates wins the nomination and moves on to the general election for the presidency.